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This case can be used as a capstone valuation exercise for first-year MBA students in an introductory finance course. A senior associate in the business development group at American Cable Communications, one of the largest cable companies in the U.S., must prepare a preliminary valuation for acquiring AirThread Connections, a regional cellular provider. The acquisition would give American Cable access to wireless technology and the wireless spectrum and enable the company to offer competitive service bundles including wireless, currently a hole in the company's service offering. Students learn the basic valuation concepts including DCF (discounted cash flow) using APV (adjusted present value) and WACC (weighted average cost of capital) and they must choose the appropriate approach for situations in which the capital structure is changing or assumed to be constant. Students must consider the effect of constant debt versus the D/V (debt-to-value ratio) in estimating betas and the costs of capital. In addition, students analyze the effects of non-operating assets on valuation. As an additional assignment, instructors can require students to consider the personal tax disadvantage of debt as well as the synergies American Cable expects to achieve following the acquisition.

learning objective:

Understand the differences between APV and DCF models. Understand valuation methodologies based on capital structure assumptions. Estimate the effect of capital structure changes and assumptions in determining beta and the cost of capital. Forecast cash flows. Forecast the value of tax shields. Consider the effect of synergies, non-operating assets, and terminal value growth assumptions on valuation.

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In January 2001, Mary Linn, vice president of finance for Ocean Carriers, a shipping company with offices in New York and Hong Kong, was evaluating a proposed lease of a ship for a three-year period, beginning in early 2003. The customer was eager to finalize the contract to meet his own commitments and offered very attractive terms. No ship in Ocean Carrier's current fleet met the customer's requirements. Mary Linn, therefore, had to decide whether Ocean Carriers should immediately commission a new capsize carrier that would be completed two years hence and could be leased to the customer.

learning objective:

To provide the opportunity for students to make a capital budgeting decision. To develop an understanding of how discounted cash flow analysis can be used to make investment and corporate policy decisions.

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Ameritrade Holding Corp. is planning large marketing and technology investments to improve the company's competitive position in deep-discount brokerage by taking advantage of emerging economies of scale. In order to evaluate whether the strategy would generate sufficient future cash flows to merit the investment, Joe Ricketts, chairman and CEO of Ameritrade, needs an estimate of the project's cost of capital. There is considerable disagreement as to the correct cost of capital estimate. A research analyst pegs the cost of capital at 12%, the CFO of Ameritrade uses 15%, and some members of Ameritrade management believe that the borrowing rate of 9% is the rate by which to discount the future cash flows expected to result from the project. There is also disagreement as to the type of business that Ameritrade is in. Management insists that Ameritrade is a brokerage firm, whereas some research analysts and managers of other online brokerage firms suggest that Ameritrade is a technology/Internet firm. To obtain executable spreadsheets (courseware), please contact our customer service department at custserv@hbsp.harvard.edu.

learning objective:

To estimate (over two days)-the cost of capital that Ameritrade should employ in evaluating the proposed large investments in marketing and technology. The lesson plan builds on the prior cases in the Risk & Return module. Uses the capital asset pricing model to estimate Ameritrade's cost of capital. Focus is on CAPM variables such as the risk free rate, market risk premium, and beta. Students will use regression analysis to directly calculate the beta estimates. Arguments will be made as to which comparable firms (brokerage firms or Internet firms) should be used to obtain beta estimates.

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Longview Investments, an investor in alternative asset classes, had recently developed a new investment thesis to take advantage of several emerging macroeconomic themes. The strategy was premised on the belief that inflation and interest rates were likely to accelerate in the future and that digital real estate was likely to offer a superior return due to developing trends in technology and IT management. Specifically, the firm noticed greater utilization of cloud-based applications and mobile devices; the increased need for ubiquitous access to digitized data, as well as the explosion in the amount of electronic data generally; and the shifting of firms away from the use of small server closets and toward larger datacenter environments. The net result was a heightened interest in REITs specializing in digital real estate. The case is meant to demonstrate the sum of the parts valuation methodology as a capstone exercise for an introductory finance class in a first-year MBA setting. It follows an investment professional as he develops a hypothesis related to Digital Realty Trust (DLR), a publicly traded REIT specializing in digital real estate.

learning objective:

1. Demonstrate that all cash flows must be valued at a rate reflecting their risk 2. Understanding the underlying differences in WACC and APV models, and the implications of capital structure assumptions 3. Considering the implications of market efficiency and expectations for future returns 4. Developing cash flows forecasts based on key economic drivers 5. Forecasting the value of interest tax shields 6. Handling the peripheral impact of minority interests, convertible securities, and joint ventures

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This case considers the valuation of Lin TV, a publicly-traded company with 30 TV stations. The case highlights how a change in operating strategy can enhance the firm's value, and considers the effect of consolidation within the industry on firm value.

learning objective:

Simple setting in which to value the effect of operating strategies and consolidation on firm value.

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